Changing Construction Philosophy Can Impact Climate For The Better

Revolution in the industries caused revolution in the minds of people, it’s making us hollow. We are busy in achieving big things in life which actually matter none and have no time for little things in life mattering the most. To achieve our goals we need to be able to survive for a longer time. But our actions are not in accordance with it, because we are creating so much pollution which causes diseases which will ultimately terminate our lives. We cause pollution in so many ways one of which is constructing buildings.

Buildings are tangible. They are contributing to the half of the greenhouse gas pollution, which ultimately contributes to climate change. A greenhouse gas is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range. Greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect. Basic human activities are the biggest contributor of the greenhouse gases. Turning on shower, thermostat or plugging in the laptop, they all are producing an energy which creates greenhouse gas pollution. Greenhouse effect is the natural process of keeping the Earth warm. Sun passes its energy to the Earth, some of this energy reflects back and the remaining re-radiates as greenhouse gases. Water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone are the gases included in greenhouse gases.

Professionals are trying to build green buildings to overcome this problem. The greenhouses are good in terms of producing energy. Green buildings are site specific and appropriately designed buildings, using efficient water and energy technologies, renewable, recycled and recyclable building materials, and minimize the negative impact on the natural environment. But over the last 40 years while creating greenhouses; we are still facing the increase in global greenhouse gas effect. We still need something better. We need projects which are net positive. We need to have buildings which give more positive energy out than they take in. More insulation and more solar panels will not help achieving this goal because It’s not only about the object, it’s about the change that object creates. Only then we can start thinking about the positive change.

The reason that we still face greenhouse gas effect is that there’s something which we are not paying attention to or is missing in the greenhouse buildings. We make them very well insulated and perfect for saving energy but we don’t care about the location of that green building. Ignoring the impact of location is the challenge in the greenhouse gas effect, because the greenhouse buildings are located in the middle of nowhere.

Another reason for this failure in reaching the net positive is the question that what was there before? If there was something green, like the farm, field or forest, it means that before you, no fossil fuels were being burnt there. So, even after building a super eco building there, it’s having a negative impact on climate.

Replacement matters. If it is replaced by the draughty old house, the story is different but if it’s replaced by Greenfield, then it’s different. There are buildings which give you zero % impact on climate. There are a lot of amazing things happening these days. For instance, passivhaus, a system in which a building is well insulated in a way making it so air tight that it does not need central heating system. In this regard, indoor gardening and wall gardening can also be beneficial as plants are always a main source of healthy environment and play a vital role in making the climate better. Plants filter the air around them and absorb the gases such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. Therefore, this oxygen-rich air keeps everyone and everything healthier. As a result, reducing the carbon footprint of the building we get net zero.

The concept of vertical village is also the solution of this matter. These are the upward buildings which have markets and industrial areas in the bottom and residential area on the top of the building. People living inside will not have to use car or public transport for traveling to their offices, school, etc. It can leave more free space on the sides of buildings to plant trees and make environment healthy. So, net positive is about the whole story. It asks how good is your building, where it is located and what does it replace? In order to achieve our goal we need to have a complete knowledge of the system and how it works.